This invention relates to the protection of clothing articles during storage and transportation. More specifically, this invention is an apparatus that provides a plurality of protective covers from a roll to cover and protect a plurality of clothing articles. This invention also allows a single user to independently wrap and protect a plurality of clothing articles quickly and easily.
It has been customary to store clothes in common types of plastic covers to prevent dust and other contaminants from getting on expensive or valuable clothing articles. Typically the task of storing clothes inside of plastic covers requires two people to accomplish, one person to hold the cover open, and the other person to insert the clothing article. One such problem arises when the user tries to accomplish the task independently primarily because the plastic covers that are used are very thin and difficult to handle.
Several approaches have been provided for the storage of clothing articles, in Furst U.S. Pat. No. 3,834,497, "A storage bag which can be used for camping or the like is substantially flat when not being used to accommodate articles so that it can be folded or rolled into a package of low bulk when stored. The bag is used in connection with a conventional clothes hanger and has an inner chamber for storing bulky items. Quick access to this chamber is provided by a slit or opening through a flat surface of the bag. Further, many additional articles may be stored in the bag by providing pockets on the front and rear surfaces thereof, which pockets are substantially flush with the flat bag when no articles are being stored therein." While this invention has its advantages, it does not provide a plurality of bags to accommodate a plurality of clothing articles to be covered for storage. Additionally, this type of storage device requires the user to hold the storage device with one hand while the other hand tries to insert the clothing article into a thin slit which is difficult. Furthermore, this type of storage device with all of its features makes the device expensive to protect a large number of clothing articles.
Another approach is taught by Kuroishi in U.S. Pat. No. 4,919,262, wherein "A portable clothes cover in which the clothes hanging down from the hanger or the like can be directly suspended on the suspender member of the upper bar, then enclosed by the cover section, and the cover section thus enclosing the clothes together with the hanger or the like can be securely maintained in the folded condition by folding this assembly in two and thereby locking the upper and lower bars to each other, followed by putting the sheath-like bag onto the cover section thus folded." A disadvantage of this portable clothes cover is that it will be too expensive to provide individual covers for each clothing article to be protected. Additionally, it may be too difficult for the average user to apply this method.
Still another approach is taught in the art of Creamer in U.S. Pat. No. 3,961,710 wherein "A clothes hanger support and storage assembly for conventional type wire clothes hanger is described and having an elongate base support member to which are connected a hanger support rod and a hanger retaining member such that clothes hangers positioned with their head portions on the hanger support rod contact the hanger retaining member and are prevented from tangling." While this invention has its advantages, it deals only with the storage of clothes hangers and does not directly apply to the storage and protection of clothing articles garments.